Lost and Found

It was just yesterday that I mentioned to Jon that I lost one of the bracelets he bought me.  I was reminded of it because I knew it would work perfectly with what I was wearing.   I hadn’t seen it in about a month, but I figured I had just put it someplace and forgotten where.

So many time when I think I’ve lost something, it’s not really lost, and it eventually turns up.

It’s probably in my studio I told Jon.  I often take off my jewelry in  my studio if it gets in the way of my work.

This morning, Jon left to have coffee with his friend Scott and Fate and I went for a walk in our woods.  It’s the first time we’ve been back there  since the snow started melting.  Between that and the rain  there’s been lots of flooding and the Gulley Bridge and the marshy land around the stream was below water.

Fate and I easily crossed the bridge (I had my muck boots on so I didn’t get my feet wet) and made our way up the path to the small waterfall on the edge of our property.   The last few time’s I’ve been there, when it wasn’t covered in snow, I would spend some time pulling out the branches and leaves that have built up over the years, diverting the flow of water.

Today, the rock ledge that creates the small waterfall was clear of leaves, the water flowing smoothly over its surface.  The muck and decaying leaves were gone from the tiny pool beneath the falls too, and in the sandy bottom I saw something shiny.

I figured it was a piece of garbage, something left by last years hunters.  But when I reached into the cold water I pulled out my bracelet.

It must have fallen off my wrist when I was clearing out the leaves and branches from the stream one day.  But it seemed magical since I was expecting an old beer can and had just told Jon about the bracelet the day before.  As if the stream had been holding it for me, waiting for me to come back and find it.

The bracelet went through a snow storm in the stream, covered by ice and snow.  It survived the rushing waters of the melt and rain.  Almost completely covered in sand, the sun was hitting it just the right way for me to see its sparkle.

When I got back to the house, Jon was just getting home.  “Look” I said, holding up my wrist with the bracelet on it.  “The stream found it and gave it back to me.”